A whopping 26.8% of NFL experts are picking the Denver Broncos to return to the Super Bowl and come out on top this time.

While the presence of Peyton Manning will always make a team a Super Bowl contender, another reason the experts like the Broncos is because of the amount of money they spent this offseason. The Broncos led the NFL with $77.5 million in guaranteed money for new contracts and extensions, according to Spotrac.com, adding to an already loaded team.

At the other end, teams like the Dallas Cowboys were so close to the salary cap that they were limited in what they could spend with a majority of their available space being devoted to drafted players. As a result, an already mediocre team is not expected to be any better.

Join the conversation about this story »

Argentina and Germany met in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup on Wednesday.

With the stakes exponentially lower and players like Lionel Messi on the sidelines, Argentina won the friendly 4-2.

New Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria was the standout with three assists and a goal.

Twenty minutes into the match, he hit a ridiculous pass with the outside of his left foot, and it corkscrewed into the box where Sergio Aguero tapped it in to make it 1-0. Argentina went up 4-0 before Germany made the scoreline respectable in the final minutes.

Incredible assist:

Join the conversation about this story »

Beirut (AFP) - Brutal beheadings recorded on video by the jihadist Islamic State are intended to terrorise the group's enemies, but are also angering and alienating the Muslims the group claims to represent.

On Tuesday, the jihadist group released a new video purporting to show the beheading of Steven Sotloff, the second US journalist to be decapitated by its fighters in a fortnight.

The video was described as "sickening" by the United States and provoked widespread anger as well as fear -- which experts say is precisely the group's intention.

For Rita Katz, director of extremist monitoring group SITE, releasing videos of the beheadings of Sotloff and journalist James Foley before him "has a straight-forward purpose from an analytical standpoint: intimidation". 

"The brutality demonstrated in the video says, 'Don't mess with us.'"

The Islamic State claim "to be the only 'true Muslims' and resort to murder and mayhem as a psychological tactic to terrorise other people," said Asma Afsaruddin, a professor at Indiana University's religious studies department.

Beheading has become almost a calling card for IS, which has used the method on opponents ranging from Syrian and Iraqi government troops to activists who have opposed its abuses.

As well as the two US journalists, in the last two weeks IS has also released videos of a Lebanese soldier and a Kurdish fighter being beheaded.

The method has clearly been effective in spreading fear: when the group advanced in Iraq this year, hundreds of thousands fled in terror.

- Re-emerging tactic -

As a tactic, decapitation by jihadists is not new -- extremists beheaded US journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in 2002.

It also became a favoured method of Al-Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate, a precursor of today's Islamic State, under the leadership of militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

With Zarqawi's death in a US raid in Iraq in 2006 and the weakening of his group, its use declined.

But with the emergence of the Islamic State, which has broken with Al-Qaeda and declared its own Islamic "caliphate" in Syrian and Iraqi territory, decapitation has once again become a potent tool.

Katz said videos of the brutal tactic also served the "alarming" purpose of "recruitment to jihad," by attracting a small minority of radicalised Muslims impressed by such violent excesses.

"A dangerous community with a dark view of the world has interpreted the video in a celebratory and empowering vein," Katz wrote in an analysis for the group.

But for most in the Muslim world and elsewhere, the Islamic State's tactics produce revulsion and anger.

"The acts and practices of IS in terms of beheadings and insulting minorities are at complete odds with the message of Islam and Muslim belief," said Sheikh Khaldun Araymit, secretary-general of Lebanon's Supreme Islamic Council.

"Islam is mercy and love and communication with the other," he told AFP.

"The heinous acts carried out by IS not only contradict Islam but are offensive to it."

- 'No basis' in Islamic law -

Muslims express similar feelings online, taking to Facebook and Twitter after each new IS outrage, whether the crucifixion of Syrians or the reported trafficking of Yazidi women kidnapped in Iraq.

Scholars of Islam say there is no crime for which beheading is religiously prescribed, though the tactic was used in war by Muslims and non-Muslims alike at the time of Prophet Mohammed and after.

"Beheading certainly was the common way to carry out criminal prosecutions throughout Islamic history, and it therefore was the default," said Haider Ala Hamoudi, an Islamic law expert and professor at Pittsburgh University law school.

"The custom developed among peoples who were aware that it was on balance much less painful than other available means of execution."

Beheading remains in use in Saudi Arabia, but Araymit noted that there it is used only "after a trial in the presence of a judge and where a pardon is not given."

Rights groups have criticised its continued use there however, and accused the Saudi judicial system of serious flaws.

Officials at Egypt's prestigious Al-Azhar religious authority have rejected the Islamic State and its practices as un-Islamic.

"These criminal acts have nothing to do with Islam" Azhar official Abbas Shoman told AFP. "There is no basis for them in Islamic law." 

"These people do not represent Islam," he added.

Online and on television, Muslims have been increasingly responding to IS atrocities.

Twitter user @LibyaLiberty, writing after Foley's killing, said: "If you think Muslims aren't condemning ISIS.. you're not listening to Muslims."

"Feel free to quote: 'I, a Muslim, do hereby condemn ISIS for cutting off the heads of people, including mine, if they could'," she said, using another name for the extremist group.

Join the conversation about this story »

Düsseldorf (Germany) (AFP) - Argentina spoiled the party for world champions Germany by hammering the hosts 4-2 in an international friendly in Duesseldorf on Wednesday in a repeat of the World Cup final.

Manchester United’s record British signing Angel Di Maria scored once and made goals for Sergio Aguero, Erik Lamela and Federico Fernandez as Argentina won their first game since losing to Germany in Brazil.

Andre Schuerrle and Mario Goetze replied but Germany were brought crashing down to earth by a ruthless Argentina display in what was Gerardo Martino’s first match in charge of the South Americans.

Goetze’s extra-time winner at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana on July 13 sealed Germany’s fourth World Cup triumph and there was a jubilant, capacity crowd of 51,132 packed into the Esprit Arena on Wednesday evening.

Before kick-off the home fans got a chance to say a final farewell to Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker, record goal scorer Miroslav Klose and World Cup-winning captain Philipp Lahm.

All three retired from international football after Germany’s success in Brazil.

Only four players who started the World Cup final were in the German line-up, with Manuel Neuer captaining the side in the absence of his injured Bayern Munich teammate Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Argentina’s team showed just four changes from the last time the sides met, with Javier Mascherano wearing the captain’s armband in place of absent Barcelona star Lionel Messi.

Di Maria, who missed the World Cup final through injury, set the tone of things to come with a piercing run early on before Mario Gomez missed the first of a string of scoring chances that came his way.

Argentina keeper Sergio Romero stood tall when the Fiorentina striker was sent clean through and turned his shot over.  

There was real quality on show when Argentina got the opening goal after 20 minutes.

Getting possession near the corner of the penalty area, di Maria played in a sumptuous cross with the outside of his left foot that left the unmarked Aguero with an easy close-range finish.

Toni Kroos fizzed a shot just wide for Germany before Gomez was again denied by Romero. 

This time the keeper saved with an outstretched foot after Marco Reus set the German forward up inside the box.

Argentina always looked dangerous on the counter against an inexperienced German defence and di Maria, in particular, was thriving on the right against Borussia Dortmund’s Erik Durm. 

Five minutes before half-time the former Real Madrid player again found himself in space and he had plenty of time to pick out Lamela.

Standing to the left the of the penalty spot, the Tottenham winger caressed a volley past Neuer and into the top corner.

Gomez scuffed wide on the rebound before half-time to howls of derision from the crowd and two minutes after the restart, Argentina went further in front.

Di Maria’s excellent free-kick from the left was met by the head of Swansea defender Fernandez at the back post.

And just two minutes later di Maria raced on to Mascherano’s through ball before cooly dinking the ball over half-time substitute Roman Weidenfeller for Argentina’s fourth goal.

Schuerrle poked home from a corner after 52 minutes in a madcap start to the second half. Goetze, a second half sub, reduced the deficit further with a deflected shot on 76 minutes shortly after Reus had struck the post. 

Join the conversation about this story »

Apple is expected to introduce two large-screened smartphones on Sept. 9, and it couldn’t come at a better time. According to Business Insider Intelligence, the market for large-size phones — also called “phablets,” or tablet-size phones — is skyrocketing, compared to the individual smartphone and tablet categories, which are also both on the rise, though not as dramatically. 

BII defines a “phablet" as a phone with a screen size of 5 inches or higher; market research firm IDC says a "phablet" has a 5.5-inch screen or bigger. But with Apple rumored to introduce a 5.5-inch iPhone at its Sept. 9 event, BII believes the phablet segment will rise at a compound annual growth rate of 27% in the next five years, topping 1.5 billion units shipped in 2019. In general, phones’ screen sizes have gotten bigger each year on average — before 2011, most phones measured between 2.5 and 4 inches, but since 2013, there are hardly any new sub 4-inch phones out there.

SEE ALSO: CHART OF THE DAY: Chinese Smartphones Are On The Rise

SEE ALSO: This Is The Best Evidence We’ve Seen For The Gigantic 5.5 Inch iPhone 6

Join the conversation about this story »

A new study from University of Pennsylvania professor Charles Loeffler shows how wearable sensors can be used to reduce gun violence in the police force.

The study explains that wearable sensors could track gun use and provide evidence and facts when an officer is accused of using a gun. Not only would this be beneficial after the fact, but it would also deter officers from unnecessarily using their guns since the cameras would hold them accountable.

Loeffler, who is an assistant professor of criminology, published the study this week in the journal PLOS ONE.

He carried out the study by having officers from the Penn Police Department, construction workers, and other individuals wear accelerometers, which are often used for fitness trackers. These sensors detect wrist movements and other signals to determine when a gun was used.

The sensors were 99.4% accurate in detecting gun use, showing that low-cost and low-energy motion sensors can be used to identify when a gun is fired.

The implications of these findings are extremely timely, following the tragic shooting of Michael Brown and the general unrest surrounding gun use by local police forces.

"If integrated sensibly into existing community-supervision systems, it could enhance the ability of correctional authorities to deter and or detect firearm use while allowing community-supervised populations to experience less onerous conditions of release," Loeffler told PennNews.

SEE ALSO: Here's One Theory About Why Cops In America Kill So Many People

Join the conversation about this story »

Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton aren't the only ones to have their private information leaked.

Actress Eva Longoria, too, revealed on "Access Hollywood" today that she's been directly contacted by Apple employees who were able to access her personal information from company records.

“I’ve had a lot of problems with people breaking into my email, my Mac email,” Longoria told host Billy Bush. “Not hacked — just people get it from the stores, and I had a big problem with that.”

Longoria says Apple employees have contacted her after store visits, saying, “‘I made a dress, and I want to send it to you. I work at the Apple Store here in San Antonio.’ And I’m like… What? Did someone give out my email? Or my phone? ‘I saw your phone number from your profile, I just wanted to call and say hi, I’m a fan.’”

“There are a lot of privacy issues,” she added.

Apple — which claims in its privacy policy that "we communicate our privacy and security guidelines to Apple employees and strictly enforce privacy safeguards within the company"— did not respond to the show's request for comment.

 Watch Longoria explain the creepy situation in her own words below (5:00): 

Longoria’s allegations come after Apple’s iCloud system was hacked, resulting in dozens of stars having their private, nude photos leaked to the public.

Apple denies that the photo leak was a result of “any breach in any of Apple’s systems including iCloud or Find my iPhone.”

SEE ALSO: Here's How The Hacked Celebrities Are Responding To Their Nude Photo Leaks

MORE: APPLE STATEMENT ON CELEBRITY HACKING: Our Systems Weren't Breached

Join the conversation about this story »

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval will announce on Thursday that Tesla will build a giant battery factory in the state.

USA Today's Chris Woodyard reported the news, citing unnamed sources. 

This isn't necessarily bad news for other states, including California, that were in the running. On Tesla's most recent earnings call, CEO Elon Musk said that the electric carmaker had begun construction of a Gigafactory in Nevada and was waiting for some additional action from the state before moving forward.

According to Woodyard, Sandoval will confirm the deal at a press conference Thursday afternoon.

Musk has also indicated that additional Gigafactories could be built in other states, so California could still be in the running, along with Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. However, Tesla's playing of states off against each other — along with whatever its demanded in terms of tax breaks and incentives in exchange for constructing a $5-billion factory that could employ over 6,000 people — has raised the ire of politicians, including Nevada Senator Harry Reid.

Last month, Reid said that Tesla might be "playing" Nevada over the Gigafactory deal.

SEE ALSO: Harry Reid: Elon Musk Might Be 'Playing' Nevada

Join the conversation about this story »

The pace of auto sales in the U.S. blew away expectations in August.

For the first time in eight years, light vehicle sales surpassed a seasonally adjusted annualized sales rate (SAAR) of 17 million units.

"This was the highest level of auto sales since January 2006 and suggests that real consumer spending is rebounding in August after declining in July," said Barclays' Dean Maki.

Audi and Subaru report last month as being the best in company history with sales for both brands jumping 22%. While others like Chrysler (20%), Mazda (11.4%), and Toyota (6.3%) have posted the best August sales in more than a decade. 

Mitsubishi lead the way with 28.6% growth which represents the best sales month for the Japanese automaker in 6 years. Nissan also posted double digit growth this 11.5% while Mercedes Benz sales rose 9.4%. Fellow Germans, BMW, saw sales rise 5.5%. The Korean duo of Kia and Hyundai saw sales jump 5.1% and 6% respectively. On the other hand, Honda and Ford both post 0.4% gains in sales while GM posted a 1.2% drop in sales. 

This August sales boom can be mainly attributed to the perfect confluence of cheap credit, high manufacturer incentives, and dealers desperate to move existing inventory to make way for eagerly-awaited 2015 model-year cars. 

Cheap And Easy Credit

One of the driving factors for the recent sales growth has been the almost "scary growth" in subprime auto lending, Kelley Blue Book senior editor Karl Brauer tells Business Insider. 

Due to the cost of cars rising at 9% and income only 4% over the past four years, buyers are more concerned with fitting a new car into their monthly budget than the total cost of vehicle, reported The Car Connection's Richard Read. Car dealers have taken advantage of this mindset to juice sales by putting sub prime borrowers into long-term stretched out loans as recently captured by Business Insider's Myles Udland in a conversation between Morgan Stanley automotive analyst Adam Jonas and a Ohio Chevrolet dealer. 

On the whole, Read reports that Americans owe upwards of $902 billion in auto loans.

In fact, according to Brauer, 20-30% of all auto sales are done via subprime auto loans. Fortunately, default rates for subprime automotive loans are relatively low. In addition, Brauer adds that subprime sales do not represent a higher percentage of sales than in the past times of general economic stability. "With the average age of vehicles on the road at roughly 11 years-old there is certainly pent up demand for cars," added Brauer. "Since people are keeping their cars for longer periods of time, a seven-year subprime loan makes more sense than before."

More Incentives

Prior to the 2009 recession, the average amount of incentives offered by automakers represented 9% of the average transaction price of car. That figure fell to roughly 7% in wake of the recession.

However, incentive figures have been growing ever closer to pre-recession numbers with current manufactures incentives at 8.4%. In fact, the average incentives offered by GM and other domestic automakers amount to roughly $3,000 per vehicle while Toyota offers around $2,100 and Nissan $2,200 per car. The effect incentives have on sales can be significant. In August, Toyota increased their level of incentives by roughly 19% and saw 10% growth. GM, on the other hand, upped incentives by only 3.5% last month and saw sales slip by 1.2%. 

Why do manufactures do this? Brauer says, "car companies are really anxious to keep growth and sales volume high. They are willing to sell vehicles at a discount as long as they can still make a profit."

In With 2015, Out With 2014

Around August of every year, dealers begin their annual tradition of clearing out the existing inventory. By upping incentives and offering cheap credit, dealers were especially successful in moving their 2014 stock that cost significant overhead everyday they sit on the lot. Since 2014 models are coming to the end of their production life, they are sold at heavier discounts than the more novel and new 2015 models. The introduction of 2015 models like the new Chrysler 200 and Cadillac Escalade have paid dividends for their respective brands. The 200 helped the struggling Chrysler car brand reach positive sales growth for the first time in months, while the new Escalade proved to the be sole bright spot in Cadillac's highly praised but underperforming lineup of models.

With the flow of subprime loans, manufacturer incentives, and eager dealerships unlikely to curtail, so will this sales surge.

"There's no indication of a drop off," says Brauer. "Growth hasn't fallen even when we thought it would."

SEE ALSO: Chrysler Demolished Expectations With Its August Sales — Here's How They Did It

Join the conversation about this story »

With many elite private colleges now charging students more than $60,000 a year, higher education may seem like an unattainable goal for many low-income students.

However, the idea that attending an elite school means shackling yourself to a lifetime of debt is one of the most persistent myths in higher education.

At the core of this misunderstanding is an often striking difference between a college's sticker price — the full cost of tuition and fees often most visible on a website — and the net price — what families actually pay after financial aid and grants.

The Ivy League schools offer particularly generous need-based financial aid packages to students, thanks to their large endowments. On average, around half of students at those eight colleges receive financial aid, with an estimated average aid package of $40,000 for the 2012-2013 academic year.

And while the published tuition and fees for private institutions around the U.S. topped $30,000 for the 2013-2014 school year, the typical student received $17,630 in grant aid and tax benefits, according to the College Board.

Many higher education advocates say that colleges could be doing a much better job to publicize the difference between sticker price and net price.

"You can make big statements about being accessible, and have need-blind admissions and really low net prices for low-income kids, but still enroll very few of those low-income kids, by doing minimal outreach ... There has to be a commitment to go out and find them,"Catharine Bond Hill, president of Vassar College, recently told The New York Times.

As The Times notes, while the number of low-income students attending college in America has seen a significant increase since the 1990s, the percentage of low-income students at selective colleges — about 15% — has stayed the same. The Times also explains why some top schools may be hesitant to advertise their financial aid opportunities:

Colleges generally spend 4 percent to 5 percent of their endowments per year on financial aid, prompting some administrators to cite this rough math: Sustaining one poor student who needs $45,000 a year in aid requires $1 million in endowment devoted to that purpose; 100 of them require $100 million. Only the wealthiest schools can do that, and build new laboratories, renovate dining halls, provide small classes and bid for top professors.

The rankings published by U.S. News and World Report, and others, also play a major role. The rankings reward spending on facilities and faculty, but most pay little or no attention to financial aid and diversity.

Last year, Business Insider spoke with John McDonough, CEO of Studemont Group College Funding Solutions, who shared a few strategies he gives low-income families who feel priced out of elite schools:

Never miss a deadline."For some families on the low-income side, they probably haven't had the ability to save anything for college. They're living paycheck to paycheck. What we tell those families is there are still some deadlines you have to meet. Number one, make sure you get your SAT tests done on time. Apply early enough and then go through the financial aid process on time so that you can be sure you've done everything right."

You can negotiate financial aid offers."A lot families have never heard that you can appeal colleges and negotiate them after they've sent a financial aid offer. That's why we tell students to apply to multiple schools, not just one. You can use those other financial aid offers as leverage [when negotiating]. You write a letter to the school, saying that you can not afford X dollars of what they expect and ask them to please re-work their package. We have much better luck negotiating with private schools than we do big state schools. [Public schools] have a set budget and they can hide behind it.”

Visit admissions offices in person."If you can walk into the college admissions office we find that to be sometimes beneficial. That way, you're not just a number on a paper and you become a real person."

Mandi Woodruff contributed to this article.

SEE ALSO: There Are Now 50 Colleges That Charge More Than $60,000 Per Year

FOLLOW US! Check Out BI Colleges On Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »

The local newspaper in Syracuse, New York recently informed its readers that "the fastest-growing party brand on America's college circuit" was coming back to Syracuse University.

The paper noted that the brand, I'm Shmacked, made headlines last fall when it spurred a riot at the University of Delaware, and that it was "raising debates over the line between harmless young indulgence and excessive, destructive behavior."

I'm Shmacked is hugely popular among high school and college students. Their videos have racked up more than 25 million views on YouTube, their Facebook page has more than 100,000 likes, and they have more than 160,000 Twitter followers. In 2012, the popularity of the videos landed I'm Shmacked a profile in The New York Times.

The company has reportedly been valued at $5 million.

I'm Shmacked's 21-year-old co-founders, Arya Toufanian and Jeffrie Ray, travel around to big college campuses in the U.S. to throw raucous parties and make videos showing students' over-the-top antics. The startup is often compared to "Girls Gone Wild"— I'm Shmacked videos have a similar vibe, but focus almost exclusively on college parties rather than wild spring breaks.

The videos can fuel competition among schools. Many students at party schools view I'm Shmacked videos as a badge of honor that helps them out-party one another.

The ugly side of the videos

The brand is also drawing backlash. The negative attention has some students worried these videos could hurt their schools and, by extension, their future careers. Of course, college students will always throw drunken parties and maybe even riot with or without I'm Shmacked. But college officials told us the presence of video cameras at college parties encourages out-of-control behavior from students who want to appear in viral clips.

Another concern is that videos produced by I'm Shmacked promote a "rape culture" and unsafe environment for female students on campus. Less than two months ago, the company posted a video to its YouTube page titled "Signs She Wants The D" in which a host asks people in Miami how they know a woman wants sex.

One guy said: "It depends on what she's wearing. If she's got on leggings, she definitely wants the D. If she got on a skirt, she definitely wants the D." Another man said: "It's up to you. You're the man."

And a video posted last year focused on the theory that girls like "a**holes" and featured students saying things like, "Treat her like dirt and she’ll stick to you like mud."

These videos are especially concerning because there's a major conversation on college campuses across the country right now surrounding sexual assault and the safety of students. Colleges have been accused of mishandling sex assault cases, and the federal government has stepped in to investigate certain schools.

Business Insider first became interested in I'm Shmacked when one of its founders threatened a Business Insider reporter with rape on Twitter.

Toufanian distanced I'm Shmacked from the comments made in these videos.

"It's content. The students at the university choose the questions, we film it," he told Business Insider. "We do not advocate or encourage anything said on camera, we simply film."

Some students, unhappy with the negative image tied to the videos, have started turning on I'm Shmacked. Fraternities at some schools have banned I'm Shmacked from filming on their property, and students have protested on social media to prevent I'm Shmacked from coming to their campuses, students and university administrators told Business Insider.

But Toufanian and Ray still have plans for expansion. They're starting to turn their party videos into a business, with an eye on book deals and licensing their footage.

The rise of I'm Shmacked

I'm Shmacked began as a video startup.

Toufanian met Ray in New York's Penn Station around 2011. Ray had been filming high school parties around Philadelphia, and once the two got to talking, they got the idea to film college life at campuses around the country.

"He was filming in high schools and I thought to myself, 'Why don't I film college,'" Toufanian told Business Insider. "It was really the right place at the right time."

The pair hoped to attract companies (which could presumably become sponsors) looking to reach young adults, according to Upstart Business Journal.

Three months into the venture, I'm Shmacked videos started to go viral.

The first few videos showed party scenes, sports, and picturesque college campus shots set to the beat of rap music. The videos racked up tens of thousands of views.

Ray and Toufanian then started to legitimize the business.

After the videos took off, an advertising agency in New York invested $300,000 in I'm Shmacked, according to Upstart. 

Now, I'm Shmacked is hoping for more big-time investments. Toufanian recently tweeted about chatting with billionaire entrepreneur and "Shark Tank" investor Mark Cuban. I'm Shmacked's main Twitter account then started tweeting about the possibility of Cuban investing in the company. (The tweets have since been deleted.)

It's unclear whether that will ever come to fruition. When asked about whether he's in talks with I'm Shmacked or planning to hear a pitch from them, Cuban told Business Insider: "Nope. Just exchanged messages." Toufanian declined to comment.

The effort to monetize the I'm Shmacked business also includes booking venues near big college campuses and selling tickets to events.

Toufanian told us I'm Shmacked hires security and brings in police to control the events, but the parties can still get wild. Last week, 35 people were arrested at an I'm Shmacked event in Myrtle Beach, Florida. Of those people, 34 were under the legal drinking age. 

"Almost every show has incidents," Toufanian said. "When you have a sold out event with 2,000+ college students in a concentrated area, there might be incidents. We take these incidents very seriously. We implemented increased precautions such as restricted alcohol sales, additional security, and staff to monitor the partygoers and help assist them with water, a cooling-off area, etc."

The most obvious sign that I'm Shmacked had hit it big was the rioting that happened at the University of Delaware last year when the group announced on Twitter they were on their way to Newark, Delaware to make a video.

A party at the men's rugby team house devolved into an out-of-control rager. Three people were arrested and the rugby team was suspended for five years.

It may have been fun for some but we shouldn't be proud of this..stay safe tonight guys and dont do anything stupid pic.twitter.com/b9sG0OFXIv

— UD Makeoutz (@UDMakeoutz) September 10, 2013

Chris Lucier, the vice president for enrollment management at the University of Delaware, told Business Insider the school's I'm Shmacked visit — and the riots that ensued — didn't seem to have a lasting effect on the university. But the university still doesn't want the party scene to attract the wrong type of student.

"If there's a student who's using I'm Shmacked to decide where to apply or enroll, frankly, I don't want the applying or attending the University or Delaware," he said.

"A new way to scout colleges"

Viral videos aren't the end game for I'm Shmacked. The brand bills itself as "a new way to scout colleges," encouraging a culture where students base their higher education decisions on which school throws the best parties.

"It's a platform for high school students as well as college students to look at schools that they maybe can't afford to visit," Toufanian said. "If they can't afford to visit the school, they can go on YouTube."

These tweets — which were retweeted from I'm Shmacked accounts — show the influence of I'm Shmacked on college decisions:

Choosing my college solely based off @ImShmacked videos

— Drew Shmurda (@DrewDetamore) August 7, 2014

Colleges should hire @ImShmacked to recruit new students. They're basically doing that now anyways

— meeek (@meeek_c) August 6, 2014

My little sister is making her college decision based on @ImShmacked videos

— Ally Davis (@challydavis) August 4, 2014

@ImShmacked#syracusepic.twitter.com/GNBd8dLXle

— Plazitas (@JP_Plazas) July 8, 2014

I consulted @ImShmacked heavily when decided which college to go to #VerifyImShmacked

— Josh Asiko (@JoshuaAsiko) July 5, 2014

Predictably, the influence of I'm Shmacked has angered university administrators. I'm Shmacked is "highlighting the parts of college that don't need to be highlighted," Bronson Hilliard, the assistant vice chancellor for media relations at the University of Colorado, Boulder, told Business Insider.

Hilliard (along with several other sources Business Insider spoke to, including current college students) also said the partying seen in I'm Shmacked videos is exaggerated.

"It's like any reality TV show. You're going to inject an element of unreality into it when you stick a camera in somebody's face because they're going to act more exaggerated than they normally would," Hilliard said. "It glamorizes overconsumption of alcohol and drugs and it gives you a false sense of what the social norm is on a campus."

Toufanian admits the videos are sensationalized, but said I'm Shmacked employees aim to shoot candid footage and don't encourage people to do anything they're not supposed to be doing on camera.

"Of course college isn't a big party … we film it in about a week and we chop it up," Toufanian said. "It's very important for our company to include the party footage to be able to attract our audience. There's no point filming a video that's brochure-like because no one is going to watch it."

Students fight back 

Once I'm Shmacked became more mainstream, and news outlets near college towns started airing some of the wild footage, many college students joined administrators in worrying about the repercussions of the videos.

A Pennsylvania State University student who requested anonymity told Business Insider I'm Shmacked's popularity has been waning at the notorious party school.

"A lot of the frats will tell [I'm Shmacked] to stop taping us or won’t let [them] in," she said. "People used to make it a big deal, people thought it was awesome, but now it’s very much overrated, at least at Penn State ... It had more of an appeal when social media wasn’t quite as big, but now there are so many different accounts that show hot girls at big party schools."

And some students agree the videos don't paint an entirely accurate picture of a school's culture. 

A student from the University of Colorado, Boulder, who also wanted to remain anonymous, told Business Insider that I'm Shmacked is "really good at making an average college party look really cool."

Corey Farris, dean of students at West Virginia University, said that when I'm Shmacked first came to campus, it was "sort of a novel thing," but that wore off with subsequent visits.

"When I'm Shmacked then put out a tweet saying 'We're coming back' … the students were quite vocal with what they said," Farris said. "We watched social media that said go away, you're not welcome here. ... When they did show up, they went near some of our Greek houses, and [the students] said 'Get away, you're not allowed to film our house.'"

Some students have complained on Twitter that the I'm Shmacked videos brought too much negative attention to the school, causing the administration to crack down on the party scene in an effort avoid more damage to the school's reputation:

I don't understand why people get so hyped up over I'm Shmacked coming to Morgantown...them coming to WVU ruined so much.

— Brittney Ann (@briiittneyyyy) June 14, 2014

Do people really care that we didn't get the #1 party school spot? That and i'm shmacked made wvu crack down in the first place

— Emily Mormile (@emmormile) August 6, 2014

Kids who are souped for I'm Shmacked to come back to WVU: Little do you know they're the reason campus is so strict and quiet now #DontCome

— Care (@cgoldsss) August 29, 2013

Why is I'm Shmacked at WVU? They're the reason we have idiots that only come there to party and end up making us look like a bad university

— Hootz (@MisterHooters) August 14, 2013

Of course, not all students are over I'm Shmacked. Some students have also taken to Twitter to talk about how much they love the videos and can't wait to get back to school and start partying.

SEE ALSO: 3 People Were Arrested After Thousands Of University Of Delaware Students Rioted In The Streets

Join the conversation about this story »

Facebook was down for a while on Wednesday. An easy assumption is that when Facebook is down traffic to other sites drops, because people are no longer being directed anywhere from the hugely popular social network.

The team over at Chartbeat, a New York City startup that makes real-time web-analytics tools, helped us figure out what really happened. 

Here's how mobile traffic across roughly 3,000 sites that Chartbeat tracks looked during the Facebook outage:

Here's how desktop traffic was affected:

Mobile saw a very dramatic drop in overall traffic, whereas desktop traffic saw a momentary drop, but then actually had an increase in traffic.

Chartbeat's chief data scientist, Josh Schwartz, told Business Insider in an email that he doesn't have a concrete explanation as to why, but said that, in general, mobile visitors are much more likely to come from Facebook than desktop visitors are.

"With Facebook down, the largest source of mobile traffic simply isn't there, and people are much less likely to directly visit most sites on mobile," he says.

He also said that Chartbeat usually sees a large spike in desktop traffic during major events.

"While I wouldn't call the Facebook outage a 'major event,' I'd guess that it's significant enough that people would visit news sites to check in," he says.

SEE ALSO: Google's Calico Just Teamed Up With A Drug Company To Help It Extend Human Life

Join the conversation about this story »

One of the biggest complaints about the current state of smartwatches is that many of them are just plain ugly. Most of these watches look just like a smartphone strapped to your wrist, but Intel is hoping to change that with one of its latest projects.

The company recently partnered with Opening Ceremony to power the retailer's new MICA smart bracelet, a piece of jewelry with a touchscreen display discretely tucked on the inside. MICA is an acronym for My Intelligent Communication Accessory.

The bracelet is designed as an accessory first and tech product second, Ayse Ildeniz, vice president of Intel's New Devices Group, told Business Insider.

"When wearables basically take off, when they become available for the larger masses, they have to be accessories that you like to have on you," Ildeniz said. 

Intel and Opening Ceremony have been adamant about the fact that this has been designed as a piece of jewelry for women — not an ambiguous wrist-worn phone companion like many smartwatches.

The MICA comes with its own 3G radio, which means it won't have to be tethered to a smartphone to pull up emails, text messages, and posts from your social media feed.

This information is displayed on a 1.6-inch curved touchscreen coated with scratch-resistant sapphire, which faces the inside of your wrist rather than the outside like most smartwatches. This is meant to keep your information private, according to Intel.

The smart bracelet will be available in two styles when it launches before the holiday season. One version will come with a black watersnake skin finish, pearls from China, and a lapis stone from Madagascar; the other will feature a white watersnake skin base with tiger's eye stones from South Africa and obsidian from Russia. 

Opening Ceremony and Intel haven't locked down a price, but the bracelet will retail for less than $1,000 at Barney's. The high price point is likely due to the bracelet's build materials and 3G radio.

The MICA certainly looks much more like jewelry than any other smart device we've seen so far, but its high price tag could limit its audience severely. At first glance, you wouldn't even notice the bracelet is actually a smart band. That being said, from what we've seen it still looks a bit bulkier than other similarly styled cuff-shaped bracelets. 

SEE ALSO: Silicon Valley Never Talks About The Real Reason You Don't Own A Smart Watch Or Wearable Tech

Join the conversation about this story »

At 2,000, the S&P 500 is right near its all-time high. It's up an earpopping 200% from its March 2009 low.

Some Wall Street strategists believe this bull market could go for years longer.

But some measures of sentiment suggest investors should be more cautious.

"Sentiment has reached an extreme as Bears according to Investors Intelligence fell to the lowest level since 1987," said FBN Securities' J.C. O'Hara. "The markets persistent grind higher is a constant pain for any bear. The few that remain are the classic perma-bears and adjusting for them we are near rock bottom for bears."

Indeed, the unusually limited number of corrections and pullbacks has got everyone taking jabs at perma-bears like Albert Edwards, David Tice, and Marc Faber.

"% Bears down to 13.3%, lowest since Feb 1987,"tweeted Pension Partners' Charlie Bilello. "Surprised it's even that high, are they counting Faber twice?"

The trouble with the lack of bearishness is that there isn't much keeping the bulls in check.

"The history of Sentiment reminds us that it’s more dangerous to have an evaporation of bears compared to a plethora of bulls," said O'Hara.

Bilello tweeted the chart.

SEE ALSO: Take One Look At This Chart, And You'll Understand Why Wall Street's Uber-Bulls Are Psyched

Join the conversation about this story »

A few years ago, while flipping through an in-flight magazine on an airplane, photographer and world traveler Bharat Ranjan read a tiny blurb about Uyuni, a small city in southwest Bolivia, which is home to magnificent salt flat. Ranjan immediately wanted to go. 

A salt flat, or salt pan, is a large, smooth area of land, usually found in a desert, that is covered in salt or other minerals. They shine white when the sun hits them, making for a very beautiful and striking sight. The Salt Flats at Uyuni, or Salar de Uyuni, are 4,086 square miles, almost 100 times the size of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, making them the largest salt  flats in the world.

While on a trip to Macchu Pichu in Peru, Ranjan remembered Uyuni and decided to plan a trip to Bolivia, which borders Peru, to see the place in person. What he saw was more amazing that he could have even hoped.

To get the salt flat, known as the Salar de Uyuni, Ranjan had to travel via a 20-seat propeller plane from La Paz, the capital of Bolivia. He went in June, which is wintertime in the Southern Hemisphere.He stayed at the Luna Salada Hotel on the edge of the salt flat. Almost everything in the hotel is made from salt bricks. You can see more of the hotel here.During the day, Ranjan explored the salt flats. The landscape is very desolate with no distinguishing features besides the massive expanse of white. Due to freezing and thawing of the crystalline salt, the ground forms crusted hexagonal plates in large areas.Every once in a while, the white is broken by pools of water fed by underground springs. The area is not totally lacking in plants and animals. Believe it or not, Pink Flamingos live in the Salar, as do several other types of birds, foxes, and Viscachas, which are similar to rabbits.And, of course, the sunsets are unbelievably beautiful.The pyramids of salt you see are piled there by the salt miners who harvest the area for its minerals. They collect sodium, potassium, magnesium, borax, and lithium, which is the most lucrative. Because the Bolivian government does not want exploitation of the Salar, no mining facilities exist on the flat, which allows them to stay beautiful and undepleted.Conservation was not always the norm, though. In the 1800s, train tracks were built, and Uyuni was a hub for transportation. But the trains were never successful, due in part to the uproar the tracks created with the indigenous communities in the area. Today, only one train track is still in function. Tourists can, however, visit the train graveyard, which features antique engines and train cars from days past.Uyuni, the city near the Salar which shares the same name, is described by Ranjan as being similar to a "shanty town" where most buildings outside of the center don't have electricity. The busiest spot in town is definitely the gas station, Ranjan says.Many miners come to town after a long day of work to visit the local bars. In his time in the city, Ranjan says he had impossible time finding hot sauce, of all things. The salt flats of Uyuni truly are one of the most beautiful and serene places on Earth. A bucket list destination for sure.

SEE ALSO:  Inside Florida's Beautiful And Strange Mermaid Theme Park

FOLLOW US: Business Insider is on Twitter!

Join the conversation about this story »

A hacker breached the federal HealthCare.gov website in July and uploaded malicious software, federal officials said Thursday.

The breach, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, was discovered last week. No personal data was taken, but the break-in has raised concerns months ahead of the start of another open-enrollment period.

The Department of Health and Human Services briefed congressional staff Thursday on the breach, believed to be the first successful hack of the federal health-insurance exchange where millions of people signed up for private plans late last year and early this year.

"Today, we briefed key congressional staff about an intrusion on a test server that supports HealthCare.gov," HHS said in a statement. "Our review indicates that the server did not contain consumer personal information; data was not transmitted outside the agency, and the website was not specifically targeted. We have taken measures to further strengthen security."

An HHS official told Business Insider the breach was discovered on Aug. 25 when a department security team noticed an anomaly in the system security logs of one of the server's systems. HHS leadership and its Inspector General's office were "quickly notified and assisted in assessing this incident," the official said.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security were also called in to investigate the attack.

The official said HealthCare.gov was not specifically targeted in the hack, which could mean it was part of a broader effort to discover vulnerable spots across government-agency and private-sector websites.

"The commonplace malware uploaded on the test server was designed to launch a 'denial of service' attack against other websites when activated and not designed to exfiltrate [personally identifiable information]," the official said.

The HHS official said the breach wouldn't have any effect on the second period of open enrollment, which is scheduled to begin Nov. 15.

SEE ALSO: An Amazing Healthcare Revolution Is Happening In Maryland — And Almost No One's Talking About It

Join the conversation about this story »

San Francisco (AFP) - A Chinese factory that supplies Apple with parts has been operating with violations of basic standards for health, safety and environmental protection, an investigative report said Thursday.

China Labor Watch and Green America itemized their findings in a 25-page report based on an investigation in August of a Catcher Technology plant in the city of Suqian.

Asked about the report, Apple told AFP that it audits the plant regularly and works with its operators to raise standards and implement best practices.

"Apple is committed to ensuring safe and fair working conditions for everyone in our supply chain," the California-based maker of iPhones, iPads, iPods, and Macintosh computers said in a statement.

"Our suppliers must live up to the toughest standards in the industry if they want to keep doing business with Apple. We know our work is never done, and we are devoted to constant improvement."

Labor Watch said that an investigation of the Catcher factory early last year turned up similar problems and that the findings were reported privately to Apple, with no apparent improvement in conditions achieved since then.

"The health and safety violations found in this factory two years in a row are startling,” said Green America campaigns director Elizabeth O'Connell.

"The lack of safety training in this facility and improper handling of hazardous materials contributes to the risk of life-threatening emergencies.” 

- Waste dumped in rivers -

Catcher is operated by a Taiwan-based parent company of the same name and employs approximately 20,000 workers, according to the report.

The factory was said to make components for an array of companies including Sony, Motorola, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell.

Problems found at the facility included locked safety exits, dumping of industrial waste into rivers, forced overtime, and lack of ventilation, according to the report.

The investigation also found aluminum-magnesium alloy shreddings on the floor and dust particles in the air, posing a health and fire safety risk.

An annual audit of Catcher operations conducted in May turned up "concrete areas of improvement" and a plan was worked out to correct problems, according to Apple.

A follow-up to check on progress was slated to take place next month, but a team has been dispatched immediately to investigate hazards or abuses listed in the report, Apple said.

Catcher aluminum systems are audited monthly by Apple and consistently exceed international safety standards, according to the California company.

A quarterly fire safety inspection at Catcher last week led to repairs of broken fire extinguishers and the unblocking of fire exits, Apple said.

The hours put in by more than a million workers in the supply chain are tracked weekly by Apple, which said that its information indicated Catcher averaged 95 percent compliance with a 60-hour cap placed on time put in each week.

Catcher was described as one of 160 suppliers enrolled in an Apple training program focused on environment, health, and safety management.

Join the conversation about this story »

New Delhi (AFP) - Australia's prime minister is due to sign a deal Friday allowing nuclear fuel exports to energy-hungry India, as he meets the country's new premier on a visit to boost economic ties.

Tony Abbott, who flew into New Delhi late on Thursday after meeting business leaders in Mumbai, said the long-awaited agreement was a sign of "mutual trust" after a long-standing ban on uranium sales to India was lifted in 2012.

The world's third biggest uranium producer, Australia had previously ruled out such exports to nuclear-armed India because it has not signed the global non-proliferation treaty.

But Abbott said on Thursday that he was assured of India's commitment to peaceful power generation.

"India has an absolutely impeccable non-proliferation record and India has been a model international citizen," he told reporters in Mumbai.

"India threatens no one, India is the friend to many, India is the world's emerging democratic superpower. This is an important sign of the mutual trust that exists between Australia and India."

The agreement will potentially ramp up India's plans for more nuclear power stations, with only 20 small plants at present and a heavy dependency on coal.

India is struggling to produce enough power to meet the rising demands of its 1.2-billion-strong population as its economy and vast middle-class expand.

Nearly 400 million Indians are still without access to electricity, according to the World Bank, and crippling power cuts are common.

Asked about India's management of its nuclear power industry and safety standards, Abbott said it was "not our job to tell India how to conduct its internal affairs".

"Our job is to try to ensure we act in accordance with our own standards of decency and that's what we intend to do," he said, adding that India's "standards are improving all the time".

The Australian premier told business leaders in Mumbai that the purpose of his trip was "to acknowledge the importance of India in the wider world, acknowledge the importance of India to Australia's future".

He announced a scheme to boost the numbers of Australians studying in India and met Indian cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar ahead of Australia's hosting of the World Cup next year.

In the capital, he is due to attend a ceremonial reception on Friday morning before meeting senior government members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who swept to power in May pledging to open up Asia's third-largest economy to foreign investment.

Join the conversation about this story »

Toronto (Canada) (AFP) - The red carpet has been rolled out for the 39th Toronto International Film Festival, which opens Thursday amid criticism over new rules meant to cement the event's reputation as an Oscar kingmaker.

The legal drama "The Judge" -- starring Robert Duvall and Robert Downey Jr. as father and son -- will kick off North America's largest film festival, which runs through September 14.

Over the next four days, organizers will for the first time showcase only world premieres, including from directors Noah Baumbach, Susanne Bier, François Ozon, Lone Scherfig and Chris Rock.

The new policy was put in place as festivals compete to land more buzz-creating film debuts, explained the Toronto event's co-director Piers Handling.

"There's a lot more focus on film festivals and a lot more prominence," Handling said.

"It doesn't affect the selection of the films at all -- it only affects the scheduling."

Critics however accuse Toronto organizers of using their considerable clout to lure high-profile films, to the detriment of smaller events like the Telluride festival in the US state of Colorado. 

Actors are usually contractually obligated to show up for premieres -- with top names drawing big media and critical attention. It could thus be devastating for other festivals if stars decide to only attend the Toronto fest.

Distributors have also expressed fears that the new rules could result in less critical attention to their films.

Organizers in Toronto say there is a need to clarify what actually counts as a world premiere, after complaints in past years that some films had first screened at the Venice or Telluride film festivals, which overlap with the Canada event.

At stake are bragging rights for showcasing films that go on to win awards, especially the coveted Oscars.

Several films that were said to have premiered in Toronto in recent years went on to win a best picture Oscar, including "12 Years a Slave,""Argo,""The Artist,""The King's Speech," and "Slumdog Millionaire."

But those films had all first quietly screened to film industry crowds at Telluride.

- European, Chinese films in focus - 

Several well-regarded European filmmakers chose Toronto for their premieres this year.

On the schedule are Bier's "A Second Chance," Scherfig's "The Riot Club,""The New Girlfriend" featuring rising French star Anais Demoustier, Christian Petzold's "Phoenix" and Norwegian master Bent Hamer's "1001 Grams."

Top Chinese filmmakers Zhang Yimou ("Coming Home"), Ning Hao ("Breakup Buddies"), Peter Chan ("Dearest") and Wang Xiaoshuai ("Red Amnesia") are also expected to hit the red carpet in Toronto.

Many eyes are on actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who stars as codebreaker Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game." 

He appeared in Toronto in three films last year: "The Fifth Estate,""August: Osage County," and "12 Years a Slave," but was overlooked at awards time.

Insiders said this could be his year.

Reese Witherspoon is expected to kick off a "big year" with two films in Toronto: "The Good Lie" about an American woman who takes in a Sudanese refugee, and "Wild," the film adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's best-selling memoir.

James Gandolfini will make a posthumous return to the big screen in the gangland tale "The Drop," shot just before his death in June 2013.

But other industry heavyweights such as Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, whose film "Birdman" stars Michael Keaton, have opted to skip Toronto.

The Mexico-born director previously brought "Biutiful" and "Babel" to the Canada event. 

After emerging at the Venice film festival last week as an Oscar contender, "Birdman" will now make its North American premiere at the boutique New York Film Festival.

In all, the Toronto festival will showcase 268 feature films, including 143 world premieres, from 70 countries.

Celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, John Cusack, Tina Fey, Al Pacino, Adam Sandler and John Travolta are also expected to grace the red carpet.

Join the conversation about this story »

Uber announced a partnership with Alexandria Real Estate Equities to buy two huge parcels of land — 422,980 square feet — in San Francisco's Mission Bay district.

The land, which is located at 1455 and 1515 Third Street, will also be home to Uber's headquarters.

Alexandria had previously sold the land to Salesforce.com in 2010, which was going to build its headquarters there. Those plans were abandoned in 2012. 

The site is near where the Golden State Warriors are building their new 18,000-seat stadium. 

Uber will own 49% of the building, and will enter a 15-year lease for the space. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, Uber will keep its Market Street building and just expand to the new site. 

SEE ALSO: Uber's latest move shows just how ruthless it is with the competition

Join the conversation about this story »